You are matchless, O Lord.
So our praise of You must rise above our humanity.
Magnificent is Your power.
Your wisdom has no limits.

01 August 2009

100 Quotes From the Saints

So, the other day I was looking for the source of a quote I had come across. During my search, I found lists and lists and lists of quotes. Initially, I thought, I'd pick a selection of 10 and make a blog post. A few days later, and my list is at a hundred, and it could easily have been more! So, here's the list of 100 quotes I've put together. I've tried to group them in topic, where possible, and despite reading through the list a few times I still can't be sure that there are no repeats. Enjoy!

1. "All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man." - St. John Vianney, Cure d'Ars

2. "The soul hungers for God, and nothing but God can satiate it. Therefore He came to dwell on earth and assumed a Body in order that this Body might become the Food of our souls," - St. John Vianney

3. When I go to Rome, I fast on Saturday, but in Milan I do not. Do you also follow the custom of whatever church you attend, if you do not want to give or receive scandal. -Saint Ambrose

4. Be gentle to all and stern with yourself. - Saint Teresa of Avila

5. Our body has this defect that, the more it is provided care and comforts, the more needs and desires it finds. - Saint Teresa of Avila

6. We should always be disposed to believe that that which appears white is really black, if the hierarchy of the Church so decides. - Saint Ignatius

7. "Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft." - St Anthony

8. "The Glorious Virgin did not have a stain in her birth because she was sanctified in her mother's womb and safeguarded there by angels." - St Anthony

9. “It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others.” - St. John of the Cross

10. “He who interrupts the course of his spiritual exercises and prayer is like a man who allows a bird to escape from his hand; he can hardly catch it again.” - St. John of the Cross

11. We should all realize that no matter where or how a man dies, if he is in the state of mortal sin and does not repent, when he could have done so and did not, the Devil tears his soul from his body with such anguish and distress that only a person who has experienced it can appreciate it. - St. Francis of Assisi

12. Don't imagine that, if you had a great deal of time, you would spend more of it in prayer. Get rid of that idea; it is no hindrance to prayer to spend your time well. - St. Teresa of Avila

13. Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head. - St. Charles Borromeo

14. I would never want any prayer that would not make the virtues grow within me. - St. Teresa of Avila

15. We should let God be the One to praise us and not praise ourselves. For God detests those who commend themselves. Let others applaud our good deeds. - Pope St. Clement I

16. Our Lord has created persons for all states in life, and in all of them we see people who achieved sanctity by fulfilling their obligations well. - St. Anthony Mary Claret

17. A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. And any fine distinction between its being completely formed or unformed is not admissible among us. - St. Basil the Great

18. The more we are afflicted in this world, the greater is our assurance in the next; the more sorrow in the present, the greater will be our joy in the future. - St. Isadore of Seville

19. Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent. - St. John of the Cross

20. Many would be willing to have afflictions provided that they not be inconvenienced by them. - St. Francis de Sales

21. The bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor. - St. Basil the Great

22. The rich man who gives to the poor does not bestow alms but pays a debt. - St. Ambrose of Milan

23. It would be considered a theft on our part if we didn't give to someone in greater need than we are. - St. Francis of Assisi

24. Make yourself familiar with the Angels, and behold them frequently in spirit. Without being seen, they are present with you. - St. Francis de Sales

25. Beside each believer stands an Angel as protector and shepherd, leading him to life. - St. Basil the Great

26. When tempted, invoke your Angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: He trembles and flees at the sight of your Guardian Angel. - St. John Bosco

27. One single act done with aridity of spirit is worth more than many done with feelings of devotion. - St. Francis de Sales

28. If I had to advise parents, I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children associate . . . Much harm may result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse than what is better. - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

29. Just as a man cannot live in the flesh unless he is born in the flesh, even so a man cannot have the spiritual life of grace unless he is born again spiritually. This regeneration is effected by Baptism: "Unless a man is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" [Jn 3:5]. - St. Thomas Aquinas

30. We can't have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves. - St. Thomas Aquinas

31. Never read books you aren't sure about . . . even supposing that these bad books are very well written from a literary point of view. Let me ask you this: Would you drink something you knew was poisoned just because it was offered to you in a golden cup? - St. John Bosco

32. When we speak about wisdom, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about virtue, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about peace, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking of Christ. - St. Ambrose of Milan

33. If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way. - St. Thomas Aquinas

34. This Blood that but one drop of has the power to win ALL the world forgiveness of its world of sin. - St. Thomas Aquinas

35. There is but one Church in which men find salvation, just as outside the ark of Noah it was not possible for anyone to be saved. - St. Thomas Aquinas

36. Just as in one man there is one soul and one body, yet many members; even so the Catholic Church is one body, having many members. The soul that quickens this body is the Holy Spirit; and therefore in the Creed after confessing our belief in the Holy Spirit, we are bid to believe in the Holy Catholic Church. - St. Thomas Aquinas

37. I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church: for if Faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from God Himself. - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

38. The Church has ever proved indestructible. Her persecutors have failed to destroy her; in fact, it was during times of persecution that the Church grew more and more; while the persecutors themselves, and those whom the Church would destroy, are the very ones who came to nothing. . . . Again, errors have assailed her; but in fact, the greater the number of errors that have arisen, the more has the truth been made manifest. . . . Nor has the Church failed before the assaults of demons: for she is like a tower of refuge to all who fight against the Devil. - St. Thomas Aquinas

39. Hold firmly that our faith is identical with that of the ancients. Deny this, and you dissolve the unity of the Church. - St. Thomas Aquinas

40. If it is "daily bread," why do you take it once a year? . . . Take daily what is to profit you daily. Live in such a way that you may deserve to receive it daily. He, who does not deserve to receive it daily, does not deserve to receive it once a year. - St. Ambrose of Milan

41. Those who commit these types of scandals are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, but I', here among you to prevent something far worst for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who take scandal- who allow scandals to destroy faith- are guilty of spiritual suicide. - St. Francis de Sales

42. The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist. - Pope St. Gregory the Great

43. Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mould them accordingly. - St. Ignatius Loyola

44. It is better to say one Our Father fervently and devoutly than a thousand with no devotion and full of distraction. - St. Edmund

45. If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured. - St. Colette

46. At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity. - St. John of the Cross

47. When shall it be that we shall taste the sweetness of the Divine Will in all that happens to us, considering in everything only His good pleasure, by whom it is certain that adversity is sent with as much love as prosperity, and as much for our good? When shall we cast ourselves undeservedly into the arms of our most loving Father in Heaven, leaving to Him the care of ourselves and of our affairs, and reserving only the desire of pleasing Him, and of serving Him well in all that we can? - St. Jane Frances de Chantal

48. Let everyone who has the grace of intelligence fear that, because of it, he will be judged more heavily if he is negligent. Let him who has no intelligence or talent rejoice and do as much as he can with the little that he has; for he has been freed from many occasions of sin. - St. Bridget of Sweden

49. Charity may be a very short word, but with its tremendous meaning of pure love, it sums up man's entire relation to God and to his neighbour. - St Aelred of Rievaulx

50. What will be the crown of those who, humble within and humiliated without, have imitated the humility of our Saviour in all its fullness! - St. Bernadette

51. Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit, remaining like a baby in the bosom of the heavenly Father, where you will be reborn each moment in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ. - St. Paul of the Cross

52. It is better to be the child of God than king of the whole world. - St. Aloysius Gonzaga

53. Nothing is far from God. - St. Monica

54. To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it - Mother Teresa

55. If we wish to keep peace with our neighbour, we should never remind anyone of his natural defects. - St. Philip Neri

56. Not the goods of the world, but God. Not riches, but God. Not honours, but God. Not distinction, but God. Not dignities, but God. Not advancement, but God. God always and in everything. - St. Vincent Pallotti

57. Whatever you do, think not of yourself, but of God. - St. Vincent Ferrer

58. We should all realize that no matter where or how a man dies, if he is in the state of mortal sin and does not repent, when he could have done so and did not, the Devil tears his soul from his body with such anguish and distress that only a person who has experienced it can appreciate it. - St. Francis of Assisi

59. Love consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender. - St. Therese of Lisieux

60. Charity unites us to God... There is nothing mean in charity, nothing arrogant. Charity knows no schism, does not rebel, does all things in concord. In charity all the elect of God have been made perfect. - Pope St. Clement I

61. My daughter, I see more Pharisees among Christians than there were around Pilate. - St. Margaret of Cortona

62. Let us therefore give ourselves to God with a great desire to begin to live thus, and beg Him to destroy in us the life of the world of sin, and to establish His life within us. - St. John Eudes

63. Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin. All hope consists in confession. In confession there is a chance for mercy. Believe it firmly. Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. Hope and have confidence in confession. - St. Isidore of Seville

64. To love God is something greater than to know Him. - St. Thomas Aquinas

65. Prayer reveals to souls the vanity of earthly goods and pleasures. It fills them with light, strength and consolation; and gives them a foretaste of the calm bliss of our heavenly home. - St. Rose of Viterbo

66. It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for "God is Charity" - St. Albert the Great

67. Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart? - St. Gerard Majella

68. We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone. - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

69. Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a Master who pays well; who rewards even a cup of cold water given for love of Him. - St. Dominic Savio

70. When you feel the assaults of passion and anger, then is the time to be silent as Jesus was silent in the midst of His ignominies and sufferings. - St. Paul of the Cross

71. My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavour should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings. - St. Isaac Jogues

72. Truly, matters in the world are in a bad state; but if you and I begin in earnest to reform ourselves, a really good beginning will have been made. - St. Peter of Alcantara

73. This world and the world to come are two enemies. We cannot therefore be friends to both; but we must decide which we will forsake and which we will enjoy. - Pope St. Clement I

74. We should have no more use or regard for money in any of its forms than we have for dust. Those who think it is worth more, or who are greedy for it, expose themselves to the danger of being deceived by the Devil. - St. Francis of Assisi

75. You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy - the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud. - St. Vincent de Paul

76. To be pleased at correction and reproofs shows that one loves the virtues which are contrary to those faults for which he is corrected and reproved. And, therefore, it is a great sign of advancement in perfection. - St. Francis de Sales

77. You cannot please both God and the world at the same time; they are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions. - St. John Vianney

78. Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven. - St. Ephraem

79. Love God, serve God: everything is in that. - St. Clare of Assisi

80. Mary was raised to the dignity of Mother of God rather for sinners than for the just, since Jesus Christ declares that he came to call not the just, but sinners. - St. Anselm

81. The Blessed Eucharist is the perfect Sacrament of the Lord's Passion, since It contains Christ Himself and his Passion. - St. Thomas Aquinas

82. What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something. - Mother Theresa

83. The value of our life does not depend on the place we occupy. It depends on the way we occupy that place. - St. Theresa of the Child Jesus

84. They deceive themselves who believe that union with God consists in ecstasies or raptures, and in the enjoyment of Him. For it consists in nothing except the surrender and subjection of our will - with our thoughts, words and actions - to the will of God.... - St. Teresa of Avila

85. No matter how good food is, if poison is mixed with it, it may cause the death of him who eats it. So it is with conversation. A single bad word, an evil action, an unbecoming joke, is often enough to harm one or more young listeners, and may later cause them to lose God's grace. - St. John Bosco

86. Humility is the only virtue that no devil can imitate. If pride made demons out of angels, there is no doubt that humility could make angels out of demons. - St. John Climacus

87. Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ -St. Jerome

88. What do they not see, who see Him Who sees all things? - Pope St. Gregory the Great

89. In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance. - St. Thomas Aquinas

90. Three conditions are necessary for Penance: contrition, which is sorrow for sin, together with a purpose of amendment; confession of sins without any omission; and satisfaction by means of good works. - St. Thomas Aquinas

91. The minister to whom confession is made is the delegate of Christ, Who is the Judge of the living and the dead. - St. Thomas Aquinas

92. Whoever wishes to hold the fortress of contemplation must first of all train in the camp of action. - Pope St. Gregory the Great

93. Reprimand and rebuke should be accepted as healing remedies for vice and as conducive to good health. From this it is clear that those who pretend to be tolerant because they wish to flatter-----those who thus fail to correct sinners-----actually cause them to suffer supreme loss and plot the destruction of that life which is their true life. - St. Basil the Great

94. Proud is many a man who looks down on his neighbour because the wool of his gown is finer! Yet as fine as it is, a poor sheep wore it upon her back before it came upon his back, and all the while she wore it, she was after all still only a sheep. And why should he now think himself better than she was simply by having that wool-----wool that, even though it is now his, is still not so truly his as it was truly hers? - St. Thomas More

95. When it's God Who is speaking . . . the proper way to behave is to imitate someone who has an irresistible curiosity and who listens at keyholes. You must listen to everything God says at the keyhole of your heart. - St. John Vianney

96. If something uncharitable is said in your presence, either speak in favour of the absent, or withdraw, or if possible, stop the conversation. - St. John Vianney

97. The affairs of God are accomplished little by little and almost imperceptibly. The Spirit of God is neither violent nor hasty. - St. Vincent de Paul

98. The Saints were so completely dead to themselves that they cared very little whether others agreed with them or not. - St. John Vianney

99. It is almost certain that excess in eating is the cause of almost all the diseases of the body, but its effects on the soul are even more disastrous. - St. Alphonsus Liguori

100. A good work talked about is a good work spoiled. - St. Vincent de Paul